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# relative

noun (a relative, relatives); adjective (relative)

«relative» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A relative is a person in your family, like an aunt, uncle, cousin or grandparent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#m1)
2. As an adjective, relative means compared with something else, like «relative size». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#m2)
3. In grammar, a relative pronoun (who, which, that) joins a clause to a noun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#m3)

### In the lessons

In family lessons relatives are part of your family tree; in maths and science relative size, speed or position is measured compared with something else. Phrases: «a close relative», «a distant relative», «relative to», «relative clause».

### Examples

- We visited our relatives at Christmas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x1)
- My aunt is my closest relative in Canada. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x2)
- Lions and house cats are distant relatives. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x3)
- The ant is tiny relative to the elephant. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x4)
- «Who» is a relative pronoun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x5)
- Many relatives came to the wedding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x6)
- The test was relatively easy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x7)
- A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/#x8)

### Note

Countable as a noun. Adverb: relatively (quite, compared with others). Same as «relation» for family members. Relative clauses start with who, which, that, where.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «relative» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/relative/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«relative» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/relative.html) on Mova free.